Trump-backed Republican Clay Fuller fends off Democratic challenger Shawn Harris to win Georgia runoff to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene, AP projects
The election could be the first look at how Iran could factor in the midterms.
In an unexpectedly competitive runoff race in one of Georgia's most conservative districts, Trump-endorsed Republican Clay Fuller will win the special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia's 14th Congressional District, the Associated Press projects.
Fuller, a local district attorney and Air National Guard officer, was widely considered the favorite to win against Democrat Shawn Harris in a district that President Donald Trump won by 37 points in 2024.
As of 9:15 p.m. ET, with 82% of votes counted, Fuller led Harris by roughly 14 points, according to the AP.
Harris, a cattle farmer and retired Army brigadier general ran for the seat in 2024, challenging Greene and losing by nearly 29 points.
Special election turnout is unpredictable, but Harris' overperformance in Georgia tonight fits into broader narratives about Democrats' chances in the midterms, especially if the war in Iran continues on and gas prices for Americans continue to rise.
Tuesday's runoff is only to decide who will fill the remainder of Greene's term through the end of the year.
Fuller will have to run again in a separate election for a full two-year term starting in January 2027 that begins with party primaries on May 19, meaning Georgians could see a Fuller-Harris rematch come November.
On the campaign trail, Fuller and Harris' military backgrounds brought their opposing views on the war in Iran center stage. Fuller supported the president's actions in Iran, and Harris criticized them.
Tuesday's runoff could serve as one of the fist glimpses into the role the war in Iran -- something Greene and other "America First" members of the MAGA movement have criticized -- might play in 2026.
Harris told moderators at an Atlanta Press Club debate last month that the Iran war is "not a war we should be in."
"I spent 40 years in the military. The reality of it is, this war that we're in right now is a war of choice," Harris said.
Fuller, who served overseas with the Air National Guard, said on the debate stage that "our country is safer because of what President Trump has done regarding Iran."
Greene's surprise exit from politics sent political shockwaves across the country following her public break form Trump.
Just on Tuesday, Greene made headlines calling for the 25th Amendment to be invoked to remove Trump from office after the president posted that "a whole civilization will die tonight" if Tehran didn't agree to his demands in the war.
The U.S. and Iran later agreed to a ceasefire agreement.
In an interview with ABC News before the runoff, Harris slammed the Trump administration for failing to communicate their reasoning for military action to the public, and for the high oil prices caused by the war.
"The United States is suffering right now from these high oil prices, from these higher fuel prices, and this very high diesel. And because I live in a rural area, we are also suffering from the high inflation on fertilizer," Harris, who runs a cattle farm, told ABC News.
"I 100% support our military. They are doing an outstanding job," Harris added. "We will win this war militarily. However, we can lose this war politically."
Fuller declined to be interviewed by ABC News.
Ahead of the runoff, Carl Cavalli, a political science professor at the University of North Georgia, told ABC News that dissatisfaction with the war in Iran among Republicans could serve in Harris' favor.
A recent CNN poll found that 28% of Republicans disapprove of the Iran war.
"I don't know whether it's nearly enough to overcome the heavy Republican majority in the district, but as the war drags on, it could become more of an issue in the general election in November," said Cavalli.
Greene's surprise resignation from the House earlier this year led to a jam-packed March 10 special election where no one candidate won 50% of the vote. Harris and Fuller finished in the top two, advancing to Tuesday's runoff.
Leading into the runoff, Fuller remained the heavy favorite.
"The 14th District is united behind President Trump and his candidate Clay Fuller because they understand we can't afford to give any ground to the radical left or their candidates," Fuller campaign spokesperson Will Hampson told ABC News in a statement.
But the coalition of Democrats, independents and Republicans that Harris built caught the attention of moderate national Democrats such as Pete Buttigieg, another military veteran, who traveled to the northwest Georgia district to stump for Harris last month.
Harris drew comparisons between himself and the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, telling ABC News that both politicians are "stand-alone leaders."
"I'm a Democrat, but I am not tied to the party. And that simply means I don't care if you're Democrat, independent or Republican. If you live in Northwest Georgia ... I work directly for you, nobody else," Harris said.
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